Work is underway to rehab some vacant duplexes on the former Fort Ord that will provide some much-needed housing for homeless vets on the Central Coast.

"We'll put all new cabinets and update all the plumbing, all new flooring, we'll do some painting in here and yeah, we'll give them a good place to live," said Scott Mullins, a contractor working with Property Restoration Services. It contracted to rehab the housing.

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When completed, 16 housing units will be available to homeless vets and their families.

The housing is transitional housing, which means it's for veterans willing to help themselves get back on their feet -- like Navy veteran Dana Dayutis.

"I lost everything, lost my home, I even tried to commit suicide, everything was just going downhill in a fast way, and only way to keep from thinking about it was to stay under the influence. I'm very grateful to the VTC (Veterans Transition Center of Monterey County) -- if it wasn't for them, who knows where I'd be," Dayutis said.

The housing will be managed by the Veterans Transition Center, which will also help their homeless tenants get the services and counseling they need to land jobs or kick a bad habit.

"They know we can help them, not only provide them the housing, but also the supportive services, the social services, the case-working, we can help get them to medical facilities for whatever they need to help them get better, help them get healthier," said Jack Murphy, executive director of the Veterans Transition Center.

The Veterans Transition Center received a $500,000 block grant from the city of Monterey, which allowed them to rehab the old duplexes.

The first homeless veterans should be able to move in sometime in April.